The present invention relates to processes for catalytically reducing and/or transforming imines, oximes, hydrazones, and the like, and for the catalytic asymmetric reduction of such compounds.
Reactions which reduce imines, oximes, hydrazones and the like, often are commercially quite significant, as they can be used in the large scale preparation of pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals. Thus, the safety and economy of the reduction reactions are important considerations. Processes which safely and economically produce amines are of great interest since these compounds are widely used as pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals. Moreover, many pharmaceutically active amines are optically active compounds, and effective processes for generating amines enriched in a desired enantiomer are thus needed. Currently utilized methods of producing enantiomerically enriched amines rely upon the use of expensive late transition metal catalysts and potentially hazardous reagents.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide safer and more economical processes for reducing compounds such as imines, oximes, hydrazones and the like.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a safer and more economical process for catalytically reducing compounds such as imines, oximes, and hydrazones. Another object is to provide such a reaction where the end product of the reaction is effectively and conveniently isolated. A further object is to provide safe and economical processes for preparing chiral amines, enriched in one enantiomer, by the catalytic asymmetric reduction of imines, oximes, hydrazones, and the like. Other objects will be apparent upon reading the disclosure which follows.